Hat marking



Dec. 11 1923. r 1,477,282

, R. K. REYNOLDS HAT MARKING Filed April 12. 1922 Patented Dec. 11, 1923.

.Ztl'E STATES l t-W 23i RALPH K. REYNOLDS, OF DANBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO MALLORY HAT COM- PANY, OF DANBUEY, CONNECTICUT, A COREOR-ATEON OF CONNECTICUT.

HAT MARKING.

Application filed April 12, 1922.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that. I, RALPH K. Rnrnonns, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Danbury, in the county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Hat Marking of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the marking of hats. One of the objects thereof is to provide a simple and practical art whereby hats may be dependably marked with the label of the manufacturer or otherwise. Another object is to provide an art of the above nature which may be cheaply carried on and by which the resultant mark is attractive in appearance. Another object is to provide hat marking apparatus of simple construction which will efliciently and expeditiously apply the mark to the hat. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, relations of parts and in the steps and combinations of steps, all as will be hereinafter illustratively described and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing in which is shown one of various possible embodiments of the mechanical features of this invention,

Figure 1 is a side elevation thereof;

Figure 2 is a detailed plan of a hat-positioning device;

Figure 3 is a plan of a position-indicating device;

Figure & is a side elevation of the device shown in Figure 3 with certain associated parts; and

Figure 5 is an end view of the device shown in Figure 3 and the supporting rod with which its rear end co-acts.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the views of the drawing.

As conducive to a clearer understanding of certain features of this invention. it may be noted that in all operations with finished hats it is highly important that the outer surface be neither marred nor discolored and that the crown be not deformed, as a slight injury in any of these particulars is likely to ruin the hat. It may also be noted that to mark a hat by means of a lining or label Serial no. 551,821.

with the name of the maker is not only unsat1sfactory and expensive, but is undependable as such a device may readily be removed and reinserted in hats of other main ndfaeture to the injury of the reputation of the original maker. To eliminate these objectionable features in a practical way without injury to the hat is among the dominant aims of this invention.

Considering first the mechanical apparatus, there is shown in Figure 1 of the drawings a press comprising a heavy supporting frame 10 on the base 11 of which is bolted in proper position a bed 12 having a table port1on 13. I

At the upper arm 14 of the frame is bolted a guide 15 for a reciprocating rod 16. Move ment of the latter is brought about in this illustrative embodiment by means of a lever 17 provided with a handle 18 and pivoted as at 19 tothe rod 16. The lower end of the lever is anchored to the frame by means of the swinging pivotal link 20 and the lever is provided with a suitable counterweight 21 of such proportions as to balance the we ght of the various parts connected therewith.

The lower end of the rod 16 is provided with a die or stamp 22 which is preferably cut in brass and which is inked with indelible ink of the desired color by a hand roller.

The rod 16 is substantially aligned with the center of the table 13 and on the latter are placed one or more layers 23 of a yieldable substance adapted to hold the crown of the hat against the thrust of the die with suliicient firmness to make a clear impression and yet without such rigidity as would unduly compress the felt and thus injure the crown. For this purpose I have found cardboard to be well suited. v

(lo-acting with the hat 24: which is mounted in inverted position on the members 23 is a guiding yoke comprising a pair of curved arms 25 with a connecting portion 26 and a hand lever 27 by which'the yoke may be swung. The portion 26 is j ournaled in a sleeve 28 formed at the end of a supporting rod 29 which passes through the up- 7 right portion of the frame of the machine and is longitudinally adjustable therein and held in adjusted nosition as by means of the setscrew 30. The arms 25 of this yoke are symmetrically disposed with respect to the line of travel of the die 22 and are adapted to swing under the brim of the hat, engaging its lower surface and embracing a portion of the crown as indicated in the drawing, thus accurately positioning the adjacent portion of the hat.

In order to aid in quickly positioning the center of the hat in alignment with the axis of the rod 16, there is provided a swinging pointer or gage 31. This pointer has at its central portion an elongated slot 32 through which passes a bolt 33 provided at its lower end with a nut 34L. This bolt preferably has formed thereon a shoulder 35 held firmly against a supporting rod 36 by the upper portion of the bolt 33 which is threaded thereinto. Rod 36 passes through a sleeve 38 on a supporting arm 39 and is vertically adjustable in such sleeve and held in adjustable position as by the set screw 40.

The pointer 31 may be swung about the bolt portion 33 as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3 of the drawing and its movement in the opposite direction is limited by the engagement with arm 39 of an upwardly directed Xtension 41 formed at the rear end of the pointer and shaped substantially as indicated in Figure 5 of the drawing. In this manner the pointer may be instantly swung into and out of position in which it overlaps the hat, and whatever its height as determined by the set screw 40 it will when thrown toward the hat always point toward the center of the path of travel of the die.

Considering now the method of use of the above apparatus and assuming that the yoke is swung downwardly into the position indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1 of the drawing, and the pointer swung outwardly as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3, the finished hat is placed in inverted position on the members 23. The yoke which may be counter-balanced to maintain any position into which it is moved, is then thrown up into its full line position, and the arms by engaging the hat, quickly and accurately determine the position of the adjacent portions thereof. The pointer 31 being swung into its full-line positionpermits instant and accurate adjustment of the hat so that the center of its crown will lie in the axis of the rod 16. I The pointer 31 having accomplished its function may then be swung out and the die forced down to make its impression in indelible ink on the inner surface of the crown of the hat. Upon release the counter-weight 21 raises the die and the hat may be immediately removed and replaced with another hat.

It will thus be seen that there is provided an art which may be quickly carried on without the necessity for skilled labor and in which the chances of injury to the hat are reduced to a minimum. Furthermore the mark is not only indelible but is accurately positioned without the necessity for slow adjustments or the exercise of manual skill. The members 23 formed of cardboard or the like permit the felt to yield and yet afford just such resistance as is re quired to result in a clean and clear-cut impression.

It will be seen furthermore that the apparatus above described is simple and inexpensive, and its parts although compactly disposed are adapted for efiicient action. They are so positioned as to accomplish their functions effectively and yet may be so quickly and completely retracted as to do away with the tendency to soil the hat or interfere with its rapid positioning or removal.

As various changes might be made in the above construction and as the art hereinabove described might be altered in various particulars, all without departing from the scope of this invention, it is to be understood that all matter herein described'or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim as my invention 1. In hat marking apparatus, in combination, yielding means adapted to engage and support the outer surface of the crown of a hat, a marking device including a cold inked die, and means adapted to bring said marking device and the inner surface of said crown into operative relation one to another.

2. In hat marking apparatus, in combination, a marking member formed of metal, a member formed of yielding material, and means adapted to bring said members together with a portion of a hat therebetween.

3. In hat marking apparatus, in combination, a supporting member, a member positioned thereon formed of cardboard or the like, a marking device formed of a metal die and having an inked lower surface, and means adapted to force said marking die downwardly into the crown of a hat resting on said cardboard member.

4. In hat marking apparatus, in combination, a member adapted to support a hat in inverted position, a marking device, means adapted to force said marking device downwardly into the crown of said hat to form an impression on the inner surface thereof, and an indicating device adapted to indicate the position of the path of travel of said marking device and aid in positioning said hat.

5. In a hat marking apparatus, in combi nation, means adapted to support a hat in inverted position, an index adapted in operative position to point toward the line with which said hat should be centered, and

means mounting said index to permit it to be moved out of operative position.

6. In hat marking apparatus, in comb-ination, means adapted to support a hat in inverted position, an index adapted in operative position to point toward the line with which said hat should be centered, and means mounting said index to permit it to be swung about an upright axis into and out of operative position;

7 In hat marking apparatus, in combination, means adapted to support a hat in inverted position, an index adapted in operative position to point toward the line with which said hat should be centered, means mounting said index topermit it to be swung about an upright axis into and out of operative position, and means adapted to adjust vertically the position of said index.

8. In hat marking apparatus, in combination, means adapted to support a hat, means adapted to embrace a portion of the crown of said hat and aid in placing it in correct position, and means adapted to mark the inner surface of the hat positioned on said supporting means.

9. In hat marking apparatus, in combination, means adapted to support a hat in inverted position, and a movable yoke adapted to swing into and out of a position in which it engages the hat and aid in rectifying its position on said supporting means.

10. In hat marking apparatus, in combination, means adapted to support a hat in inverted position, a movable yoke adapted to swing into and out of a position in which itengages the hat and aid in rectifying its position on said supporting means, and means adapted to adjust the posit-ion of said swinging yoke and thereby accommodate hats of varying sizes.

11. In hat marking apparatus, in combination, means adapted to support an outer surface of a hat, ahat marking device,means adapted to bring the inner surface of the hat which is opposite said supported surface and said marking device into operative re lation with each other, and means adapted to aid in rectifying the position of said hat on said supporting means.

12. In hat marking apparatus, in combination, means adapted to support the outer portion of the crown of a hat in inverted position, a marking device, means adapted to bring the inner surface of said portion of the crown and said markingdevice into operative relation one to another, and means adapted to rectify the position of said hat to bring the center of its crown into alignment with the center of said marking device in marking posit-ion. V

13. In hat marking apparatus, in combination, supportin means, a yielding member mounted thereon and adapted to support a hat in inverted position, a movable yoke adapted to move into a position to aid in rectifying the position of the adjacent portion of the hat, a movable indicator adapted in normal position to aid in rectifying the position of the center of the hat, a marking,

device, and means adapted to force said marking device downwardly into the crown of said hat and form an impression on the inner surface of said crown.

14. The herein described art of marking hats which consists in supporting a felt hat in a predetermined position and forcing a cold inked die directly against the inner surface of the felt at a portion which is supported against outward deformation.

15. The herein described art of marking hats which consists in supporting a felt hat 1n inverted posltion, movlng into operative position an indicating device, rectifying the position of the hat with the aid of said indicating device, and forcing an inking device against the inner surface of the crown of the hat.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 10th day of April 1922.

RALPH K. REYNOLDS. 

